In spending most of her life in New Jersey, Laura Giannotta has had plenty of experience with snowstorms. When she moved from Barnegat Township to New Orleans 10 years ago, the last thing she expected to see was snow.

But early last week, the Gulf Coast was hit by a blizzard, dropping between 8 and 10 inches in the Big Easy.

“The last time something like this happened in New Orleans was in 1895,” said Giannotta. “This was more than a once-in-a-generation event. More like once in a century. I went to sleep in New Orleans; I woke up in New Jersey.”

She said the first immediate problem was snowplows – there weren’t any.